Negative Pressure Therapy, A Brief History

Negative pressure therapy has been around since the early 1900s. Originally, it was implemented via open suction applied to wounds. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that researchers began developing the closed suction methodology we know today. Many studies found that this treatment method reduced bacterial growth around the wound and minimized the chances of infection.

These first studies were based on surgically implanted or enclosure type systems. It wasn’t until Dr. Chariker and Dr. Jeter’s studies that the traditional dressing based systems were developed. Their dressing based system was a pre-cursor to the negative pressure therapy system that is used today.

In the 1990s, a very comprehensive NPWT study was published by two researchers from Wake Forest University. This study included the use of a foam type system for NPWT. This study showed that NPWT affects areas of wound healing beyond bacterial growth and minimizing infection. NPWT can have a positive effect on many aspects of wound vac healing including blood flow and getting nutrients to the healing area.